aiccu.edu

October 2025

Greetings,

As we enter the final stretch of the year, AICCU continues to advance efforts that center students and the critical role of independent higher education in California’s future workforce.

At the federal level, we remain deeply concerned about the elimination of the Grad PLUS Loan program. This change would significantly reduce access to graduate and professional degrees—particularly in critical fields such as health care, education, and public service—where California faces growing workforce shortages. We have published a fact sheet that outlines the likely impacts of this change and how access to key workforce areas would be affected.

Here in California, AICCU’s inclusion on the new California Education Interagency Council—established through AB 1098 (Fong) and SB 638 (Padilla)—is an important step forward. It ensures independent colleges and universities have a seat at the table as the state strengthens its education-to-workforce pathways. This is a critical opportunity to shape strategies that support students and meet California’s workforce needs.

We also continue to highlight the enduring value of higher education through our #WorthIt campaign. At a time of rapid change and growing skepticism about the value of a degree, our sector is demonstrating how higher education continues to provide economic mobility, strong wage outcomes, and a more secure future for students and communities.

Next month, leaders from our institutions will come together at our Annual Meeting to discuss the critical issues shaping the future of higher education and how we can collectively respond to the challenges facing our sector. These conversations are essential to advancing innovative solutions that strengthen opportunities for student success.

I encourage you to explore our new resources to see how independent higher education is driving opportunity, strengthening California’s talent pipeline, and making higher education worth it for the future of our workforce. Together, we are shaping a stronger, more inclusive future for students and for California.

Sincerely,

Kristen Soares

President

Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities

Partnerships that Power Access: AICCU and California’s Community Colleges

The latest episode of Insights with AICCU features Larry Galizio, president of the Community College League of California. AICCU President Kristen Soares was the host. This episode is sponsored by First American Education Finance.

The League provides advocacy, professional development, and other supports to all 73 of California’s community college districts. Dr. Galizio discusses the challenges facing colleges amid federal uncertainty, the importance of flexible funding and transfer pathways, and how collaboration between community colleges and AICCU institutions can expand opportunity for students across the state.

Insights with AICCU is a quarterly podcast featuring insightful conversations surrounding issues impacting the higher education space. Guests include prominent figures in higher education such as policymakers, campus leaders, students, advocates, and more. The podcast is available for listening on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and Amazon Music. Episode transcripts are also available.

#WorthIt Campaign

AICCU is proud to launch the #WorthIt campaign, a bold, ongoing initiative to reaffirm the value of higher education—and independent higher education in particular. At a moment when policymakers and the public are questioning whether college is “worth it,” this campaign delivers a unified message: higher education transforms lives, strengthens communities, and fuels economic mobility.

The campaign’s launch comes in the wake of the recently enacted budget reconciliation bill, which includes provisions that threaten college access, reduces affordability, and undermines support for vital workforce and professional education programs. In response, #WorthIt is both a counter-narrative and a call to action: a reminder that a college degree is not just worthwhile, but essential to opportunity, equity, and a stronger California future.

Through storytelling, data, and advocacy, the campaign underscores that investing in higher education is hard work—but it is the work that secures brighter futures for students and communities alike. AICCU looks forward to partnering with colleges, universities, and campus leaders to ensure this campaign becomes a powerful, influential effort to reframe the conversation about the true value of higher education.

Learn more at higheredworthit.com.

Graduate PLUS Loan Elimination Fact Sheet

AICCU’s latest fact sheet reveals stark consequences if Grad PLUS is discontinued for new borrowers. Sixty-eight percent of California’s $2 billion in Grad PLUS borrowing comes from students enrolled at independent California colleges and universities (ICCUs). With the program’s elimination, institutions face significant challenges sustaining student access to advanced degrees in critical workforce areas such as primary care, mental and behavioral health, dentistry, allied health, education, and law.

Regional Counselor Conferences

The AICCU Regional Counselor Conferences brought together over 300 high school and community college transfer counselors to learn more about opportunities for their students to study at California’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities. The conferences were held in early September at the following AICCU member institutions: Menlo College, Fresno Pacific University, California Baptist University, Point Loma Nazarene University, and Otis College of Art and Design. The final conference in the series was held virtually on Sept. 25, with over 100 counselors in attendance.

Connect with us.

Follow us @aiccucal on all social media platforms for more insight on over 85 of California's independent, nonprofit colleges and universities.

Regional Counselor Conferences

﻿Connect with us.

Connect with us.